Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ripple in Stillwater Updates

By Karl Bremer
A recent FBI bulletin regarding the "sovereign citizen" movement caught our eye here at Ripple in Stillwater. We reported extensively on local hate-radio celebrity and former "sovereign citizen" Bradley Dean Smith in 2010-11, and thought the FBI's renewed interest in this movement was worth an update.

Likewise, recent reports that the fraudster known as "Bobby Thompson" may now be in New Mexico should be of interest to those who followed my award-winning investigation into the Minnesota operations of "Bobby Thompson" and his fraudulent Navy Veterans charity.

THE MAN KNOWN AS “BRADLEE
DEAN”

The FBI and several states are taking the “sovereign
citizen” movement a little more seriously these days. You might remember our
own local “sovereign citizen”—Bradley Dean Smith, aka “Bradlee Dean,” of the
Annandale-based hate “ministry” You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International.
Dean, who was the subject of a Ripple in Stillwater investigation in 2010-11, renounced his "allegiance to the world" to become a “sovereign
citizen” in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Smith’s “citizenship” in the Kingdom of Heaven was issued in
November 2003 and expired in November 2010, according to his online Embassy of
Heaven ID:

“On file is a signed statement by Bradley Smith
renouncing allegiance to the world and declaring citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“We are fellow citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Government of God,
which was handed to the Apostles by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper (Luke
22:29), We fulfill the Great Commission by traveling from place to place using
old and modern conveyances. Our government is not of this world, and we expect
to be held accountable to the laws from which we come. Our conduct is not an
offense if it not an offense in the Kingdom of Heaven."

While Smith’s escapades with the Embassy of Heaven might
sound loopy, the FBI has taking a more jaundiced look at the sovereign citizen
movement recently.

“The FBI considers sovereign-citizen extremists as
comprising a domestic terrorist movement, which, scattered across the United
States, has existed for decades, with
well-known members, such as Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, bombing,” says
a September 2011 bulletin from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Analysis Section.

“They could be dismissed as a nuisance, a loose network
of individuals living in the United States
who call themselves “sovereign citizens” and believe that federal, state, and
local governments operate illegally. Some of their actions, although quirky,
are not crimes. The offenses they do commit seem minor: They do not pay their
taxes and regularly create false license plates, driver’s licenses, and even
currency.

“However, a closer look at sovereign citizens’ more
severe crimes, from financial scams to impersonating or threatening law
enforcement officials, gives reason for concern,” the report continues.

The FBI bulletin cites several instances where sovereign
citizens resorted to violence and notes:

“Although the sovereign-citizen movement does not always
rise to violence, its members’ illegal activities and past violent—including
fatal—incidents against law enforcement make it a group that should be
approached with knowledge and caution. It is important that law enforcement be
aware of sovereign citizens’ tactics so agencies can warn the public of
potential scams, spot illegal activity and understand its potential severity,
and be prepared for and protect against violent behavior or backlash through
intimidation and harassment.”

While Smith’s ugly, homophobic, on-air diatribes against
gays often push the envelope, there is no record of any violent or illegal activity on
behalf of or connected to You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International.

It’s not known whether Smith still has any affiliation with
the Embassy of Heaven or any other sovereign citizen organization. He took legal
action in 2008 to sever his ties with Glen Stoll of Edmonds,
WA, who introduced Smith to the Embassy of
Heaven and allegedly induced him to establish ministerial “trusts” under the
auspices of his sovereign citizen organization, the Family Defense League.
These trusts were described in Smith’s court filings as “false and fraudulent
schemes” and “shams, devoid of economic substance.”

In March 2009, District Court
Judge Stephen Halsey granted Smith’s church and organization, Old Paths Church,
Inc. and YCR, Inc., their motion for a summary judgment against Stoll that
terminated Stoll’s trusts and removed Stoll as trustee.

Nonetheless, the FBI’s September
2011 bulletin predicts:

“The sovereign-citizen threat likely will grow as the
nationwide movement is fueled by the Internet, the economic downturn, and
seminars held across the country that spread their ideology and show people how
they can tap into funds and eliminate debt through fraudulent methods. As
sovereign citizens’ numbers grow, so do the chances of contact with law
enforcement and, thus, the risks that incidents will end in violence. Law
enforcement and judicial officials must understand the sovereign-citizen
movement, be able to identify indicators, and know how to protect themselves
from the group’s threatening tactics.”

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International had a

recruiting and merchandise table at Michele Bachmann's

April 2010 fundraiser with half-term Gov. Sarah Palin.

THE MAN KNOWN AS 'BOBBY THOMPSON'

"Bobby Thompson" and President George W. Bush

The noose may be tightening around the man known as “Bobby
Thompson,” who led a fraudulent nationwide veterans’ charity that allegedly
bilked thousands of donors out of tens of millions of dollars.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, whose original
investigation revealed the elaborate charity scheme in 2010, U.S.
Marshals are concentrating their search for “Thompson” in Albuquerque,
NM. The owners of several of the con man’s stolen
identities, including “Bobby Thompson,” reportedly had ties to Albuquerque
or New Mexico.

Ripple in Stillwater’s award-winning investigation into “Thompson”
found that the Minnesota operations of his phony U.S. Navy Veterans Association
took in more than $1.5 million over a six-year period, with little more than a
UPS drop box for a presence inthe state.
Very little of the $1.5 million was ever accounted for.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has conducted
little, if any, investigation into “Thompson” or his scam, despite the fact
that he has been the subject of numerous other state and national
investigations. The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
fined “Thompson” $21,000 for illegal campaign contributions as a result of an
investigation of a complaint filed by Ripple in Stillwater.

In what clearly looks like a money-laundering and/or illegal campaign contribution scheme, the
U.S. Navy Veterans Association collected millions from unsuspecting donors
while “Thompson” gave thousands of dollars to Minnesota Republican politicians,
including Michele Bachmann, the state GOP and other GOP political entities. His
most recent donation in Minnesota
was $5,000 to “Patriot PAC,” a political action committee formed by GOP
operative Joey Gerdin.

Gerdin says she met the alleged con man in St.
Paul at a fundraiser she hosted during the 2008
Republican National Convention.“He seemed like a nice guy, completely congenial, supportive of
veterans. Seemed like your typical patriot to me,” Gerdin told Ripple in Stillwater.
She has since refused to talk about “Thompson,” or his $5,000 illegal
contribution to her PAC.

For reasons yet unknown, “Thompson,” a Florida
resident with no apparent Minnesota
connections, showered tens of thousands of dollars on Minnesota Republican
politicians and the Republican Party of Minnesota. Besides the $10,000 he gave
to Bachmann and the $5,000 he gave to Patriot PAC, he made the following
donations to other Minnesota Republicans and GOP entities:

• $21,500 to Republican Norm Coleman’s Senate re-election campaign from
2006-2008
• $7,000 to the Minnesota House Republican Campaign Committee in 2008-2009
• $10,400 to the Republican Party of Minnesota from 2008-2010
• $500 to former Rep. Marty Seifert’s Seifert for Governor Campaign in 2009
• $500 to Republican David J. Carlson’s Citizens for David Carlson committee in
House District 67B in 2008.

“Thompson” is currently wanted by several states and federal
agencies for money laundering, fraud and identity theft.

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Ripple in Stillwater

Ripple in Stillwater is the sole creation of Stillwater, Minnesota, writer Karl Bremer. It covers whatever captures the author's muse at the moment. You can reach Ripple in Stillwater at saintcroix-at-aol-dot-com, or you can follow me on Twitter @kdbremer. If you're wondering about the name of this blog, go here.

Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists 2011 Page One Award Winner

Ripple in Stillwater author Karl Bremer won Second Place in the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists 2011 Page One Awards for "Best Use of Public Records."

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